Robot Builder: The Beginner's Guide to Building Robots

Absolutely no experience needed! Learn robot building from the ground up, hands-on, in full color!

Love robots? Start building them. It’s way easier than you ever imagined!

John Baichtal has helped thousands of people get started with robotics. He knows what beginners need to know. He knows your questions. He knows where you might need extra help. Now, he’s brought together this practical knowledge in one incrediblyeasy tutorial.

Hundreds of full-color photos guide you through every step, every skill. You’ll start simple, as you build a working robot in the very first chapter. Then, you’ll grow your skills to expert-level: powering motors, configuring sensors, constructing a chassis, even programming low-cost Arduino microcontrollers.

You’ll learn hands-on, through real step-by-step projects…and go straight to the cutting-edge with in-depth sidebars. Wondering just how much you can really do? Baichtal shows you 30 incredible robots built by people just like you!

John Baichtal’s books about toys, tools, robots, and hobby electronics include Hack This: 24 Incredible Hackerspace Projects from the DIY Movement; Basic Robot Building With Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0; Arduino for Beginners; MAKE: Lego and Arduino Projects for MAKE (as coauthor); and the forthcoming Building Your Own Drones: The Beginner’s Guide to UAVs and ROVs. A founding member of the pioneering Twin Cities Maker hackerspace, he got his start writing for Wired’s legendary GeekDad blog, and for DIYer bible MAKE Magazine.

Make your robots move with motors and wheels

Build solar-powered robots that work without batteries

Control robots via Wi-Fi, radio, or even across the Internet

Program robots to respond to sensor inputs

Use your standard TV remote to control your robots

Create robots that detect intruders and shoot them with Nerf® darts

Grab and carry objects using claws and grippers

Build water-borne robots that float, submerge, and “swim”

Create “artbots” that paint or draw original artworks

Enable your robots to send text messages when they take specific actions

Discover today’s new generation of hobbyist-friendly robotics kits

Organize your ultimate robot-builder’s toolbox

Master simple safety routines that protect you whatever you’re building

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About the author

John Baichtal writes books about toys, tools, robots, and hobby electronics. He is the co-author of The Cult of LEGO (No Starch Press) and author of Hack This: 24 Incredible Hackerspace Projects from the DIY Movement; Basic Robot Building with LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0; and Arduino for Beginners (all from Que Publishing). Most recently he wrote Make: Lego and Arduino Projects for MAKE, collaborating with Adam Wolf and Matthew Beckler, and he is the author of the upcoming Que book, Building Your Own Drones: The Beginner’s Guide to UAVs and ROVs. He lives in Minneapolis, MN, with his wife and three children.

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